As a manager it is imperative that you are a good communicator. Often you are letting your team know what you need from them. Maybe you’re talking to clients and must convey what you can do for them. And, everyday you hear from colleagues, employees, even your own boss - and you must respond to them.

As the battle for quality IT talent rages on, many organizations find themselves with open tech positions. Often, managers concentrating on making the perfect hire delay the hiring process. As a result, organizations have to get by with their under-staffed team. Open positions weigh upon on the staff as well as departmental output, and are only a portion of the many ‘costs’ incurred by having open tech roles.

Whether you are negotiating with a new employee or conducting an annual review with someone already on your staff, sooner or later the conversation turns to money. According to a Salary.com survey of 13,500 random visitors, 65% of respondents said they are looking for a new job within the next three months. Of those, 57% say they are looking because they believe they are underpaid. Even more interesting is that when compared with the firm’s market data on similar positions, only 19% of the group is actually underpaid; 17% appear to be overpaid, and 34% are fairly compensated. In other words, perception and expectations about salary compensation are not always accurate.

IT professionals continue to enjoy a low unemployment rate of around 3%, and often have their pick of positions when looking for work. That’s not news. But, what is news is that during the last 24 months the market has experienced shifts in the specific IT roles and skills that are in demand. Organizations of all sizes are branching beyond the people and systems needed to operate effectively, and are now looking toward growth and expansion. This means new and expanded roles for technology pros in the coming year.